Schools Without AC in Baltimore County, City Prompts Civil Rights Investigation Request

Two state leaders have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene on behalf of students whose academic buildings lack air-conditioning in Baltimore County and Baltimore City.

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot and Maryland NAACP President Gerald Stansbury penned a letter together in which they said that the "sweltering conditions" at dozens of schools in these jurisdictions are putting "thousands of students at a considerable disadvantage."

Between Baltimore City and Baltimore County, there are 50,000 students attending schools without air-conditioning, according to the letter, which states: "To put it bluntly, the continued exposure of thousands of students — many of whom come from heavily low-income households — to unhealthy and unsafe learning environments is a blatant neglect of their civil rights."

At the start of the school year, there were 37 schools without air-conditioning in Baltimore County. Soon after the school year began, Halstead Academy had air-conditioning installed, according to WBAL, bringing the number down to 36.

The Baltimore County Board of Education passed a measure to close schools without air-conditioning

on days when the temperature is to reach 90 degrees on the heat index by 11 a.m.

The letter from state officials says that while this measure is "well-intentioned," it does not go far enough because "indoor temperatures — especially in older school facilities — are much higher than outdoor temperatures." Officials also cite an economic study out of Harvard University that found excessive heat causes students to score lower and have a 10.5 percent greater chance of not passing a subject.

So far this school year, students in Baltimore County Public Schools at the un-air-conditioned locations have missed four days of instruction.

"For every day that a school closes due to excessive heat, students lose valuable instructional time that is critical to their academic success and progress. This is especially significant to students who have learning disabilities, special needs, and those who take college-level courses," the letter from Franchot and Stansbury states.

Additional days have been built into the school calendar to allow for heat-related closures, according to the school board. Superintendent Dallas Dance reportedly said he planned to ask for a state waiver should students in the non air-conditioned schools not meet the Maryland requirement of 180 days of classroom instruction.

The letter from Franchot and Stansbury said that for these students, having fewer instruction days than their peers would be "harmful to their academic performance" and put them at a disadvantage.

Dance and Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz have been sparring with Franchot and Gov. Larry Hogan over the air-conditioning issue for the past year.

The state last week granted Baltimore County Public Schools a waiver to begin the process of soliciting bids for installing air-conditioning at 12 schools, with the expectation that work will be complete by fall 2017, The Baltimore Sun reported. Given other schools already in the pipeline for upgrades, The Sun said that would leave only a dozen schools un-air-conditioned, and they will be air-conditioned by 2019.

See Also:

• Heat Policy Changes in Baltimore County Public Schools
• County Executive Spars with State Over AC in Baltimore County Schools

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